The Variations in the Mucin Content of the Bulbo-Urethral Glands. H 



3. Variations in Cowper's glands. 



Stilling [10\ described changes in the Cowper's glands of rabbits 

 after coitns without any special reference to mucin, which is only pre- 

 sent in small quantities in the glands of that animal. 



The glands of cats, rats and guinea-pigs were examined in animals 

 which had been isolated for considerable periods and in those which 

 had had every chance of performing coitus, though in no case was this 

 kno\^T[i to have taken place shortly before the animal was killed. 

 No differences were found in the two classes. The Cowper's gland 

 of the cat appeared to vary very much less with regard to the mucin 

 it contains than the Bartholin's gland, and further, what it does contain 

 is much more evenly distributed. In the rat and guinea-pig the indivi- 

 dual variations and uneveness of distribution in the mucin are much less 

 still than in the male cat. 



11. Influence of nerves. 



The nerves sending branches to the bulbo-urethral glands or their 

 vicinity are the pudic, the pelvic visceral and the hypogastric To 

 determine the effect of stimulation of any of these nerves on the glands, 

 the nerve was divided and a protected electrode put on its peripheral end. 

 In a few cases the nerve was hgatured without division, but this method 

 is unsatisfactory. The stimulus used was the secondary current of an 

 induction coil, of such an intensity as to be easily felt on the tongue 

 but not painful : in exhaustion experiments, the stimulus was gradually 

 increased in strength by approximating the secondary to the primary coil. 

 Ether was used as the anaesthetic in most cases, in the remainder chlo- 

 roform. In most exhaustion experiments on cats, the animal was pithed, 

 the anaesthetic discontinued and artificial respiration performed after 

 all operative manipulations had been completed. The pudic nerve was 

 approached through a vertical incision just internal to the ischial tu- 

 berosity and the pelvic visceral through an oblique incision in the iUac 

 region parallel to Poupart's hgament: in cats this operation was extra- 

 peritoneal, in guinea-pigs the peritoneum was opened and divided again 

 where it is reflected off the prostate on to the side of the pelvis. In 



